Syracuse - The three candidates running for the 25th Congressional District seat will be facing tough competition tonight.

They'll be debating live at 8 p.m. on WCNY-TV at the same time Game 1 of the World Series will begin on FOX (WSYT-TV in Syracuse) and ESPN radio.

Will viewers tune in to hear Democrat Dan Maffei, Republican Dale Sweetland and Green Populist Howie Hawkins talk about the nation's economy or will they watch the Philadelphia Phillies take on the Tampa Bay Rays?

WSTM-TV and WXXI-TV in Rochester will simulcast the candidates' debate at 8 p.m. tonight.

The candidates will be quizzed for 60 minutes by a panel of journalists from Syracuse and Rochester, including Maureen Sieh, the urban affairs editor for The Post-Standard. The debate will be moderated by Matt Mulcahy, anchor of Action News 3 on WSTM-TV.

The program will be shown again at 2 p.m. Oct. 26 on WCNY-TV.

Reporter Mike McAndrew will have a full story about the debate in Thursday's Post-Standard.